Z-shaped Penetrating Keratoplasty Performed By Femtosecond Laser: An Anatomo-clinical Study

Abstract

 

Purpose:

 

To evaluate the anatomo-clinical results of Z-shaped penetratingkeratoplasties performed with femtosecond laser.

 

Methods:

 

A retrospective anatomo-clinical study included 15 patients.All patients had penetrating keratoplasty zig-zag incision performedwith femtosecond laser.

 

Results:

 

One year after surgery, the average visual acuity measured was0.45 logMar and the astigmatism was 3.8 Dioptries. Suture removinghas been realised after 6 months in 80% of cases. The histologicalstudy showed an homogenic incision, with few lesions linkedwith secondary effects of the laser.Functional results of thisseries have been similar to those obtained after mechanicaltrephination. Histological results corroborated litteratureones, which showed that the cutting was highly qualitative andwith rare tissue damages.

 

Conclusions:

 

Penetrating keratoplasty assisted by femtosecond laser representsa surgical advanced but has not proved at this time a real superioritycompared to the mechanical trephine. The absence of any obviousimprovement and the constraints required by this technique explainedits limited spreading. Technical developments would have tobe realised in the future, on the laser autofocalisation andwave-length, before being able to asert itself as a referingtechnique.  

 

 

Keywords: cornea: clinical science • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: systems/equipment/techniques • anatomy